Following the live-action debut of Ahsoka Tano in The Mandalorian, Lucasfilm character concept designer Brian Matyas has elaborated upon why Ahsoka's head tails, or lekku, were shortened in size compared to her animated appearances.Matyas was asked by a fan on Twitter why the design for Ahsoka's montrals/lekku was changed, stating "some confusion among fans" as her lekku were "much bigger" when the character appeared in Star Wars Rebels around the same time period. "From animation to live-action I did a ton of design exploration for her and their appropriate size for the actor with consideration for stunts and movement,†Matyas explained. “I'm sure I'll get to discuss at greater length in the near future!"
Matyas admitted that these changes were primarily practical ones, in order to help actress Rosario Dawson -- taking over the role from longtime voice actor Ashley Eckstein -- perform The Mandalorian's action scenes.
As a member of the Togruta species, Ahsoka Tano's anatomy consists of head tails that grow longer as the individual gets older. In Star Wars: The Clone Wars, her blue and white lekku started out as barely shoulder-length but grew to chest-length size as Ahsoka matured across the show's seven-season run. Upon returning as a supporting character in Star Wars Rebels, her lekku had grown even longer to trail past Ahsoka's stomach. However, in The Mandalorian, which takes place five years after Return of The Jedi, the lekku are depicted as having reverted back to her teenaged shoulder-length size with no in-universe explanation.
Ahsoka's appearance in “Chapter 13: The Jedi†marked the second major instance of an original character from The Clone Wars transitioning from animation to live-action after Bo-Katan Kryze in "Chapter 11: The Heiress." However, whereas Katee Sackhoff reprised her role as Bo-Katan, Ahsoka was played by Rosario Dawson instead of Eckstein, who previously voiced the character for over a decade across The Clone Wars, Rebels, the Forces of Destiny shorts and a voice cameo in The Rise of Skywalker.
“Chapter 13: The Jedi†saw the Mandalorian track down Ahsoka in hopes of getting her to train The Child/Baby Yoda -- whose name is revealed to be Grogu -- only for the two to team up in defeating Imperial Magistrate Morgan Elsbeth (Diana Lee Inosanto), from whom Ahsoka wants information about the whereabouts of Grand Admiral Thrawn.
Created by Jon Favreau, The Mandalorian stars Pedro Pascal, with guest stars Gina Carano, Carl Weathers, Horatio Sanz and Giancarlo Esposito. Directors for the new season include Jon Favreau, Dave Filoni, Bryce Dallas Howard, Rick Famuyiwa, Carl Weathers, Peyton Reed and Robert Rodriguez. New episodes stream every Friday on Disney+.
Source: Twitter